


Under the Pale Moon

by Lady_Lizz



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Circus Date! with Asaka and Suiko frienemiendship!, F/M, MEN I MEAN MEN NOT REN, Okay I swear I meant for this to be romcom-y, anyway-, but it came out like 90 percent com and 10 percent rom, my parents say its because im afraid of love but i think im just too attached to fictional ren, story of my life tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29686530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Lizz/pseuds/Lady_Lizz
Summary: “There’s a travelling circus in town! Would you like to go with me? It could be like a date, if you’d want to call it that.”It could be like a date,Asaka’s mind screamed. She’d very much like to call it that.
Relationships: Narumi Asaka & Tatsunagi Suiko, Narumi Asaka/Suzugamori Ren
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	Under the Pale Moon

**Author's Note:**

> I may have gone a bit overboard with this one
> 
> Aa-chan and Tecchan included because those nicknames are fliPPIN ADORABLE

“Stand up— !”

“Aa-chan!” Ren hopped down the few steps leading into the cardfighting area, then over to the table where Asaka and Suiko were preparing for battle. He glanced down at their cards. “Oh. I’m sorry, am I interrupting? Do continue if you—”

“Ren-sama! Not at all.” Asaka chimed, her attention fully shifting to him. Suiko sighed and turned her starting Vanguard back face down. “Was there something you needed?”

“Mm, yes. Though it’s nothing urgent…” He sighed. “I was getting bored all by myself, so I was wondering if you’d want to have a match with me.” 

Asaka perked up immediately. “Of course I—”

“But!” Ren said, putting on an excited smirk and waving his finger toward her. “A high-stakes match. To make it more interesting, you know? Let’s say…” He moved his hand to his cheek in contemplation. “The winner gets a... gift, from the loser. Yeah?” 

Suiko snickered. “A high-stakes gift? Don’t get her too excited.” 

Ren glanced over as if just now realizing she was there. He looked from her to her deck, still laid out on the table, and back to her, then gasped and clapped his hands together. “Suiko! Could I use your deck for this fight? It’s already set up, after all.” 

She shrugged and stepped away. “It’s all yours.”

“Wonderful!” Ren took her place and drew five cards, then looked to Asaka expectantly. She nodded and took on a determined expression. They flipped their Vanguards in unison. 

Asaka couldn’t tell which was her better option: losing and giving a gift to Ren, or winning and receiving a _gift_ from _Ren._ She didn’t even know what kind of ‘gift’ he was referring to in this situation, but honestly, how much did that matter? It wasn’t as though she could dictate the victor now, however, as she was sure she wouldn’t get anything at all if Ren noticed she wasn’t trying her hardest. 

In hindsight, the outcome should have been clear the moment Ren chose not to use his Shadow Paladins. He clearly had a plan set in motion from the start. 

“Ah. My loss. Perhaps I’m not as familiar with Angel Feather strategies as I thought.” Ren admitted as he flipped his last damage check. “It was probably for the best. Now I get to give you something, Aa-chan!”

He skipped around the table and dropped onto one knee, and Asaka nearly had a heart attack. Suiko narrowed her eyes at them as she collected her cards.

“Ta-dah!” Ren sang, brandishing two thin pieces of paper from up his sleeve. 

“T-Tickets?” Asaka asked. She wasn’t expecting anything like, say, a ring, but it would’ve been nice, after that display. She cautiously plucked one of them from his hand.

“Yup!” He stood back up and brushed off his pant leg. “I saw a sign about it a few days ago. There’s a travelling circus in town! I know that’s sort of your thing, right? Would you like to go with me? It could be like a date, if you’d want to call it that.”

_It could be like a date,_ Asaka’s mind screamed. She’d very _much_ like to call it that.

“I would love to!” She said, probably far too enthusiastic, probably far too caught up in the fact that Ren saw an advertisement for the very entertainers her Vanguard deck was based around and thought of her and thought of attending _(with her)_ and then offered to take her there on what was very much now an official _date—_

“Yay.” Ren said simply. He turned toward the exit with a wave and a bright smile. “Meet me upstairs tomorrow evening, ‘kay? The show’s only a few blocks away, we could walk there.”

_Nighttime walk with Ren,_ Her mind screeched. _Under the stars, perfect temperatures, hardly any other people or sounds, close enough together that their fingers could ‘accidentally’ bump and—_

“S-Sure thing!” Asaka blurted, her face definitely colored pink by now. “Thank you for the invite!”

She only dared to move again once Ren was far out of earshot. She let out the breath she was holding and internally squealed at the prospect of tomorrow’s events. 

Then panic hit her and she whipped her head up toward Suiko, still shuffling through her deck at the opposite end of the table. _“What do I wear?!”_ Asaka hissed.

Suiko glanced up, confused, and checked behind her. “You’re asking me?” 

Asaka frantically nodded. In any other normal situation, the answer would not be yes. However, this was not a normal situation. This was a _date_ with _Ren._ The only three people in the building with any relative sense of fashion were Ren, with his impeccable taste in leather clothing, herself, and Suiko, a literal idol, who ranked quite high on the list of style influencers for people their age.

“I will help you,” Suiko offered. “But only if you drink one _full_ cup of my coffee. Ren likes it for a reason, you know.”

Asaka scowled. _“Fine.”_

~~~

“I assume you’d want to be mildly sexy, at least.” Suiko said as she dug through Asaka’s closet. 

“I want to appeal to Ren-sama.” Asaka clarified, feeling mildly self-conscious at the invasion of her personal clothing collection. She took a sip of her coffee ...and refused to acknowledge how nice it tasted.

Suiko froze, whispering, “What appeals to Ren?”

“...cardfighting.” Asaka mumbled. “I’ve always settled with sexy.”

“I mean, he’s a teenage guy. It should work.” She snorted. “I wonder if we could rent you the Vangaro costume for the night.”

Asaka set her empty cup on its saucer with a loud _clink._ “Suiko! You said you’d take this seriously!”

“I am taking this seriously. I wouldn’t be in your room if I wasn’t taking this seriously. You’ve been pining for how many years now? As your recently designated wingwoman, I’m taking this seriously.”

“You aren’t my wingwoman.”

“Who is then? Tetsu? Sorry, sister, but you clearly can’t do this on your own.” Suiko gasped and hurried out of the closet, holding an outfit up to herself. “What is this?”

Asaka cleared her throat. “A leotard.”

“Is this a Golden Beast Tamer cosplay? Oh my. Wear this and they’ll think you’re a part of the performers.” She glanced down at the costume. “...Could I try it on?”

_“No.”_

~~~

Shoes.

“Don’t you have anything that doesn’t have a high heel? High heels don’t work for events like these.”

“I do somewhere.” Asaka was in the closet too now, going through various boxes. “Plenty of sandals?”

“Your feet need to be _covered._ There might be animals, you know, and animals… defecate.” Suiko sighed and pulled out her cell. “What’s your shoe size?” 

“I’m not telling you my—”

She looked up at one of the boxes as she pressed the phone to her ear. “Great. We have the same shoe size. Yes, Master Takuto? Hi. Yes, I’m at Asaka’s. Please, do me a favor and check under my bed for that pair of—”

“I am _not_ borrowing _your_ shoes for this!”

~~~

She borrowed Suiko’s shoes for this. But _only_ because they were the most practical option, and they didn’t clash too terribly with the simple red flare dress they’d finally settled on.

“What about this?” Suiko had said, holding up the dress and swishing it around. “It’s the same color as Ren’s hair.”

“That’s the reason I bought it.”

Asaka knocked on the door to Ren’s office five minutes before the time they agreed upon. Ren was inside, frowning at his reflection in the large glass window. He wore a pastel yellow suit, not too different than his usual school uniform. The color palate seemed fitting, for a circus at least.

“Oh, Aa-chan.” He turned around with a laugh when she entered, revealing what Asaka could assume was meant to be a bow tie around his collar, though his index finger was stuck in one of the loops and beginning to turn purple. “You’re a bit early! Or, maybe I only think that because I’m always late to things like this… or, well, things in general.” 

“R-Ren-sama, you—” She hurried over and tugged out the knot, freeing his hand. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fiiiine.” Ren assured, shaking around his arm to regain the feeling in his fingertip. “This thing just isn’t going easy on me today. Ties are tough, you know.” 

“...Would you like me to tie it for you?” 

He brightened and nodded with enthusiasm. “Honestly, I’m not sure what I’d do without you. You’re so— Whoa, how’d you tie it that fast?!” 

“I could teach you. I’m sure you could do it too, with some practice.” Asaka adjusted the bow a bit, glanced up, and froze because _Ren’s face was right there and oh, wow, they were standing really close together, weren’t they?_

Ren stared at her for a moment, blinked, and tilted his head slightly to the side. “Did you do something new with your hair?”

“Oh, um. Suiko helped with it.” _Wait, should she have brought up Suiko?_ “D-Does it look bad?” 

“Not at all. It’s shiny.” He ran a hand down one of the strands at Asaka’s shoulder. She squeaked. “Soft, too. I’ve been meaning to ask what kind of hair products Suiko uses, but I’ve never—”

Tetsu entered the office. They both whipped their heads around to look at him.

His gaze flicked from Ren to Ren’s hand to Asaka to the small amount of space between them before he huffed out a tired sigh and said, “Shouldn’t you have left by now?”

“Shoot, you’re right! Heh, I already forgot.” Ren grabbed Asaka’s hand (Asaka’s heart skipped four beats) and pulled her outside. “Seeya, Tecchan! We’ve gotta go!”

A few minutes later, after they’d left, Suiko popped into the office as well, waving around her own two slips of paper and waggling her eyebrows at Tetsu.

~~~

Plenty of the businesses lining the street took advantage of the evening traffic the circus had brought in. Any shops that were still open had colorful signs advertising their wares. Various stalls with merchandise or snacks lined the sidewalk and surrounded the space the large vibrant tent was set in. Ren eagerly studied every one they passed. 

“Ooh, look! Cotton candy!” He skipped over with all the enthusiasm of a small child, and returned a few minutes later with a rainbow cotton candy bigger than his entire head, including the added height from his ponytail. 

“It’s so pretty.” Ren said, eyes gleaming with excitement as he tore off a piece and tossed it in his mouth. “Mm, and so good! Wanna try some, Aa-chan? Here—” He giggled, pulling off a bit more and holding it out to her. “Say, ‘ah’!”

Asaka turned bright pink, but obeyed. Ren popped the piece in her mouth as well before laughing some more and continuing off to peruse more stalls. Asaka lightly covered her mouth with her hand, taking a moment to process that. She glanced off to the side, where— 

Asaka froze when she spotted an unmistakable swirl of teal hair pointing a cell phone camera at her and cackling. Suiko gasped when she was caught, hurrying to hide behind her stone-faced green wall of a companion, Tetsu.

Asaka bristled with anger and embarrassment. “Wh— You—”

“Aa-chan? Is everything alright?” Ren asked, returning with his half-eaten candy and about ten glowsticks strewn about his person, sticking out of his pockets and threaded into his hair. How he managed to do all that in such a short amount of time was far beyond Asaka’s cognitive abilities at the moment.

She glanced back over to Suiko and Tetsu, and Ren’s gaze trailed hers, but by then the two of them had already scurried off into hiding again. Asaka examined their surroundings thoroughly before sighing and deciding that _no,_ she would _not_ let them mess up their night together. Their _date._

“E-Everything’s perfect.” She put on a reassuring smile. “I’m having a wonderful time, Ren-sama.”

“I can tell when your expressions are fake, Asaka. You’ve been performing for me for so long, after all.” Ren frowned lightly. A soft breeze blew by, ruffling his hair and the glow sticks nestled in it. His eyes widened. “Oh! Are you cold? I’m sorry, I should’ve noticed. Hold the candy for a second.”

Ren shrugged off his blazer and draped it over her shoulders, one of the glow sticks falling from the chest pocket in the process. Asaka didn’t think she was cold before, but the warmth of Ren’s jacket was comforting and made her feel ten times better than she did. “Better?”

Asaka nodded. “Much better. Er, thank you.”

“Good.” Ren picked up the fallen glow stick, paused to stare at it, traded it out for one from his pocket that hadn’t yet touched the sidewalk, and tucked that one behind Asaka’s ear. He grinned, satisfied with the luminescent addition to her appearance. “Now, the main attraction should be starting soon. Let’s go find our seats, shall we?” 

Suiko, from her place behind a nearby bush, thought of how wonderful a nature documentary this footage would make. 

~~~

Then it was Asaka’s turn to act like an awestruck child. If she thought the evening was already an amazing time, the show made it one of the best times of her life. The circus performers all looked beautiful in their carefully detailed costumes, each going about their acts with a certain elegance and confidence. Every time someone new entered the ring, Asaka and Ren took turns pointing out similarities with Pale Moon units. The family seated next to them looked at them strangely the first few times, but soon got used to it.

“It’s Jumping Jill!” Ren whispered, batting at Asaka’s arm and pointing to a woman at the center of the current act. “And that fellow’s dressed like Nitro Juggler.” 

She was cracking up. “There’s a Purple Trapezist spinning from the ceiling!” Ren gasped and turned to where she was gesturing. 

By the time the finale rolled around, both were giddy and giggly and having far more fun than anyone else in the audience. 

The finale, as the ringmaster described it, showed off one of the circus’ most amazing members: their very own beast tamer, as well as her mythical pet beasts. With the master’s instruction, four chimeras entered the ring. 

...they weren’t real chimeras, of course. They were realistic-looking costumes with very real human legs peeking out of the bottom. Ren and Asaka broke out in laughter. 

Upon the end of the act, the show was given a standing ovation and cheers of approval from everyone in the crowd. The two still couldn’t fully compose themselves, and fell into random bouts of giggles even during their walk back. Even as Tetsu and Suiko very obviously fell into step not far behind them. 

“Te— Tecchan!” Ren exclaimed when they finally decided on officially joining together at a stoplight, dropping the ‘secret spy’ act. “How much would it cost to hire them for Fukuhara one day? D’you think we could buy one of those chimera costumes? Hey, hey, remember when I asked if we could have a mascot for the club—”

“Please, no.” 

“But I’m team captain! Don’t I get a say in—”

“If you start fulfilling your duties as team captain, yes.” 

Ren pouted, apparently deciding it wasn’t worth the effort.

“So,” Suiko said coyly. “You had fun?” 

“No thanks to you.” Asaka mumbled, glaring at her. 

She simply laughed in response. “I think I caught all of your little moments together on camera. Want me to send them to you?” 

“Hmph.” 

“That’s a yes, then.” 

———


End file.
